


Shadows of One Another

by VerdiWithin



Series: Talisman [12]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Creepy, F/M, Falling In Love, Idiots in Love, Justice, Longing, Politics, Revenge, Rise of the Dread Queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 06:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21239942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdiWithin/pseuds/VerdiWithin
Summary: Persephone discovers a traitor in the Underworld.





	Shadows of One Another

**Author's Note:**

> Previously in this series:
> 
> Persephone earned a promotion due to her many contributions to the Underworld, and completed Elysium. Eros and Psyche are back together. Hades is struggling with his emotions and the conflict he feels because Persephone is still in TGOEM. He doesn’t know she’s nearly ready to leave it. Persephone tried and failed to seduce Hades. Hades threw a giant party to celebrate the completion of Elysium, but Persephone found out about what he did to the photographer. They had a huge argument about it and leave one another extremely angry. The Fates finally sent the tape and Hades learned that he proposed to Persephone while he was drunk.

I spend the whole weekend in bed. Once in a while I hear Artemis knocking and calling through the door. I ignore her. Frequently my phone dings or buzzes. I ignore that too. The only intrusion I allow is Cerberus. Every few hours he appears, nuzzles me and whimpers, and lets me hug him. He expresses sadness and sympathy in ways only a dog can. I pet him and cuddle him, but I don't talk to him. I know where he goes when he’s not with me.

Late Sunday afternoon my door bursts open. Psyche and Eros barge in, each of them carrying bags. Artemis follows, carrying a large pitcher and some cups. I’m trying to get my voice working so I can yell at them when the wonderful smell hits me. I can’t remember the last time I ate. I guess I’m willing to put up with company for the sake of food.

They feed me fried things, and sweet things, and fried sweet things, and then a lot of ice cream. They keep encouraging me to drink more water. I sit on my bed surrounded by my friends and gorge until I’m stuffed. The whole time Eros and Psyche keep up a light conversation about silly things. Gossip and movies. 

Artemis finally can’t take it anymore, and interrupts. “Why are you guys talking about this crap? Shouldn’t we discuss what happened?”

“Honestly, Artemis, have you even heard of tact?” says Eros. 

“Stuff it, love-boy. I’m serious, no one wants to talk about Hades ripping out some guy’s eye?”

“Ugh, we’re eating, can we not?” whines Eros.

“All I wanted to say was that I finally have some respect for him, but if you guys don’t want to hear it, _ fine _ .”

We all stare at her. Finally Psyche speaks. “You see  _ that _ as an honorable act?”

Artemis shrugs. “That guy violated all sorts of laws. So yeah. You can’t let people who abuse you and your friends walk around unpunished.”

This implies that she has started to accept Hades as my friend, but I make no comment. I haven’t uttered a word since coming home from the party and I’m not ready to start yet. When I’m done eating, I lie down again, and my friends take the hint. Soon after they leave, Cerberus returns. He lies down next to me on the bed. I put my arms around him, cry a few tears into his velvet coat, and go to sleep.

Monday morning I wake up alone. I get up, shower, get dressed. I have a job to do, I have a plan to execute, and I have my pride. I’m going in to work.

***

As soon as I enter the Underworld I notice the oppressive atmosphere. The wind is blowing damp, dirty, and cold, in weird, irregular gusts. It carries with it a taste of bitter salt and a sense of pressure that settles into my eardrums and jaw. By the time I land I’m clammy from flying through the smoky fog. The ground also brings an odd sense through my feet, as if it were constantly vibrating at a very low frequency. Walking the short distance to the door of Tower One, the gritty wind assaults me several times, each time from a different direction.

***

Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone are waiting for me in my office. “We thought you might want to speak to us,” says Alecto.

“Yell at us, she means,” says Tisiphone. Megaera just looks at me.

“I don’t know that I have that much to say to you,” I say. In truth, I haven’t thought much about their role in what happened.

“I feel sure you’ll think of something,” Alecto says.

She’s right. I blurt out the question that’s at the top of my mind. “Do you think what you did was justified?” 

“Let’s clarify what we did,” Alecto responds. “We found out who took a damaging photo of you and sold lies to a rag of a magazine. We tied him up and left him. As we were ordered to do.”

“Mm, we also hit him a few times,” Tisiphone adds. Alecto shrugs.

“Did you know what Hades was going to do?” I ask.

“No,” says Megaera, speaking for the first time. “But we would have done it anyway. We  _ are _ the Furies, after all.”

“No one calls us the Fuzzies,” smirks Tisiphone. The others snicker at this but I’m in no mood for jokes.

“So you think taking a man’s eye is justice?”

“My sisters, I think the Bringer of Death wishes to earn herself a new name,” Alecto says. I have no idea what she means by this but I feel chills crawling up my spine. I’m reminded of my encounter with the Fates at the party, and I have no patience for more of this cryptic nonsense.

“If you mean that I am unhappy about acts of barbarity done in my name and without my knowledge, then you’re right,” I snarl.

For the first time, they look chastened. “We will keep that in mind for the future, Persephone. I promise,” says Megaera. They depart, leaving me feeling drained, and the workday has only just started. The wind gusts hard against my window, making my ears pop. The headache that was hovering around my temples clamps down in earnest. 

***

I’m just finishing a first pass through my emails when I hear a soft sound. I look up to see Hecate standing in the door. I sigh deeply. I don’t know if I’m ready for this.

“Good morning, Persephone,” she says. “I won’t ask about your weekend.” She waits quietly. Her attitude suggests that she’s here specifically for me to yell at her. Did she coordinate this with the Furies? Should I expect Hades to show up next? I don’t want to see him.

“Then you already know how angry I am,” I say.

“Yes. I thought maybe we should clear the air.”

“As if this is just a difference of opinion, or a minor dispute?”

“All right. I thought we should have a serious philosophical discussion on the nature of justice and the responsibility of government.” Her face shows a hint of a smile.

I narrow my eyes. I feel mocked. I don’t expect this from Hecate. “So you think that was justice?” I ask.

“I think justice is a very complicated thing. It requires two components, which are sometimes in opposition to one another. First, that crime is appropriately punished. Secondly, that future criminals are deterred from acting by the knowledge that retribution is swift, stern, and inevitable. This knowledge is what allows all of us to live together in peace, safe under the protection of law.”

"And nobody gets to question what appropriate punishment means?"

"I wouldn't say  _ nobody _ ." She's definitely smirking now. "It's not always simple, but leaving crime unpunished is the same as condoning the crime." 

I sigh. We're getting nowhere. Why does no one seem to understand the revulsion and responsibility I feel about what was done to the photographer?

Hecate continues. "You've been working with the happier side of justice lately, making sure that the worthy dead receive their reward. This is an excellent thing, and all to your credit. It will mean dramatic changes here, which have long been needed. But at the same time, you must remember that there's no light without darkness. Reward for the good doesn't mean anything without punishment for the wicked."

I don’t know what to say to her, so I just sigh. She grins and goes on.

“But why am I saying this to you? It’s obvious that you know all about inflicting punishment.”

“Excuse me?” I blurt.

“Have you noticed the weather today?” she waves her hand at the window. We can see nothing but a swirling fog, and the ground vibration is still discernible despite the height of my office in Tower One.

“What about it?” 

“It’s been like this since Friday night. That’s not a coincidence.”

I scowl at Hecate as she leaves. It may be true that there’s a reason for the gloom, but that doesn’t make it my responsibility.

***

I spend most of the morning working on drafts for the Elysium reward plan. I wonder what I will do when I’m done writing this. Normally I would send it off to a certain person for comments, but I’m not feeling up to interacting with him today. Probably not tomorrow either. I sigh, and rub my head.

On the other hand, maybe I should just act like a grown-up professional goddess and not like a spoiled brat. Surely I could send an impersonal email on an important matter of business, right? Then it occurs to me that receiving a coolly-worded message demonstrating my total indifference would be way more devastating than complete silence. It would clearly show that I take my work seriously but also I’m still seriously ticked off. I smile to myself, picturing the emotional torture I might inflict this way. 

Just before lunchtime I receive a notice in my calendar that court is cancelled for this afternoon. Well. Looks like  _ someone _ isn’t being as much of a pro as I am. I feel a little smug. I send an email for my staff people to come to my office instead, so we can discuss kicking off the shade census. I decide to eat lunch at my desk so I can use the time to get a preliminary look at the shade data.

***

An hour and a half later, lunch time is technically over, but I still haven’t eaten. I’ve been digging through numbers and reports for the past year’s deaths and something is weird. Sometimes projected forecasts don’t match up with the shade tally for the day. Sometimes the training classes have discrepancies with the number of judged shades. It’s like shades are going missing. I can’t figure it out.

Kynora, Triamus, and Selion arrive for our impromptu staff meeting and we discuss various items related to shade judgement and management. I give Kynora some feedback on her most recent batch of court summaries. Selion has been compiling a schedule for maintenance tasks in Elysium, and I go over that briefly. Triamus was supposed to be starting on the shade census, so I ask if he has also noticed inconsistencies. 

“Not really,” he shrugs. “But so many shades get processed through it seems to me that some counting errors would happen.”

“You think they’re just counting errors?” I frown, thinking. It seems to be happening too often for that.

“Sure. People get overtired or whatever.”

“It’s possible, I guess,” I concede. “At any rate, can you please dig out the Librarians’ original weekly reports for the past three months, and bring those to me?”

“Yeah, okay,” he says, looking doubtful. “It might take me a while.”

I suppose I have to put up with that. I have work of my own to get done, and my belated lunch to eat. I send the trio off and get back to it.

***

“Hey there, Persephone.” 

Great, now what? I look up from the report I’m writing. My head is splitting and I am in no mood for more interruptions.

“Oh, hello, Thanatos,” I say, grudgingly. He’s composed his face with a little frown, sorrowful eyes, and a head tilt. It’s meant to look sympathetic but it just annoys me.

“I hear some pretty big stuff went down at the party,” he offers. “You’re real mad at the boss, huh?” 

The anger that’s been constantly roiling in me rears up, ready to bite and rend, but I force it down. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Actually, I was wondering if we could help each other. I imagine you’re getting tired of the way certain people throw their weight around. Treat the rest of us like garbage.”

Instinct is nudging me. He’s just oozing with false sincerity and I’m sure he’s up to something. I need to play it cool. I give him my best wide-eyed expression. “It isn’t right,” I say. I have no trouble looking upset.

“You’re right, babe. It’s not. Why should a few people on the top get all the money and privilege when the rest of us do all the work? Where’s the justice in that?”

My mouth tightens and my jaw aches with controlling my emotions. There’s a certain amount of truth to what he says, but at the same time he reminds me of a whiny child, demanding unearned treats. “It’s not just. It’s disgusting. Somebody should do something!” I say. I hope I’m not laying it on too thick.

He nods. “Well, maybe someone will. Say, I’ve got some friends who you’d like to meet. Why don’t you come get a drink with us some time?” 

This is a chess match, I suddenly realize. That was his feint. Now I guess it’s time for mine. “I could do that. I think you and I got off on the wrong foot. I’d like to be friends.” He thinks I’m naive, so that’s what I’ll give him.

“Well, I like the sound of that. Since we’re going to be friends I have a little friendly advice for you.”

He pauses and I nod, ready for his attack.

“I suggest you stop pursuing this shade census. It’s a silly waste of time. You do that, and I’ll see to it that the secrets Hermes is hiding for you in the archives never see the light of day. How about it?” He smiles oh-so-graciously.

I don’t understand what he’s talking about, but I do my best to look scared and meek.

“Okay. I can do that.”

“That’s terrific.” His smile contains a tiny hint of a gloat. “I knew you were a smart girl. I’ll see you around.” He leaves, giving me a smarmy little wave in parting.

What secrets is Hermes hiding? I don’t know what he could mean. I sit thinking for a while, trying to figure it out. Hermes and I used to kiss sometimes but it was no big deal. What secrets do I have? Well, there’s an awful lot of things I’m keeping from Artemis and Hestia. Even more things I’m not telling my mother.

My mother… this starts me down a new chain of ideas, and all at once I start to feel uneasy. There was that one time--that terrible day I avoid thinking about. I’m sweaty and trembling. That awful day when my powers started acting so weird. My head starts to pound and there’s a slick, greasy feeling in my belly. I breathe slowly, trying to regain control.

I can’t resolve this right now. I would need to talk to some people, and even the idea of doing so makes me feel ill. Obviously I will need to pursue this, but first--Thanatos. He thinks he’s persuaded me to stop the shade census. That means there’s something about shades that he doesn’t want known. I want to find out what it is. I check that my phone is in silent mode and leave my office, locking the door behind me.

***

It takes a while for me to find Thanatos again, and when I do, it’s nearly the end of the workday. He’s hanging out in the staff kitchen near HR, drinking coffee and chatting with various people who wander through. While I’ve been looking I’ve been formulating a plan. I transform into my butterfly form, making myself as small and as dark as I can. When Thanatos finally leaves the kitchen, I land on his back and hitch a ride. So long as no one notices me here, I can go along and eavesdrop on whatever he’s doing.

Thanatos rides the elevator down and exits Tower One. The wind out here is still vigorously snapping and gusting, so I’m compelled to hold on tight to his jacket with all six of my tiny feet. This takes all my concentration, so for a while, I’m not very aware of what’s going on around us. When we enter a building, the wind stops and I relax again. I look around and it seems we’re in a warehouse, or something of that sort. Thanatos calls out to someone I can’t see yet.

“Are the others in Vathia already?”

“Some. I think there’s a few stragglers still,” the other replies. A man’s voice.

Vathia! So this is the “Deep Place” I heard Thanatos mention weeks ago, coming out of the supply closet with Avin. I wondered then if they were up to something sneaky; maybe I should have trusted my instincts. I take a peek and the new person is a blue-gray satyr, rather short and skinny, not someone I know. He’s unlocking a big, heavy door.

We go through the door and enter into what looks like a tunnel carved in rock. It’s dark and it slopes downward at an angle. The weird vibration that I’ve been vaguely aware of all day is more noticeable, and increases my tension. I have to remember not to let my wings flutter.

Thanatos and the satyr turn on the flashlights on their phones and set off. The dimness of the setting gives me more confidence, so I fly up and land on top of Thanatos’s head. From here I can see where we’re going, and see the satyr. It’s also easier for me to hang on to hair than to fabric.

“How is weapons acquisition going?” asks Thanatos.

“A little behind schedule,” his companion replies. 

Thanatos sighs. “Everything is behind schedule. I’m having the toughest time finding the right kind of men to complete the cohort. Hermes keeps getting there first.”

They gripe about the strange weather while they trek down the sloped tunnel. After about ten minutes, we arrive at a bend. As we turn, I realize we’re entering into a large cavern, its lofty ceiling lost in the blackness above. The light is different now; there’s a campfire a short distance away giving off a weak orangey glow that illuminates one end of the cavern and throws shadows dancing on the distant walls. There are several more people here, including Avin. They have stools set up around the fire, and there’s a scattering of bottles and food wrappers on the ground.

In the wall to our right, well above the floor, I see a dark shadow suggesting some sort of niche or another tunnel. To the left the cavern is lost in fathomless black. The space beyond feels huge, but I’m unsure, and uneasy. Avin greets Thanatos and the satyr, and moves to throw more fuel onto the fire, which quickly brightens. The stronger light allows me to see farther into the surrounding darkness, and what I see brings my heart to my throat.

Many hundreds of shades stand in ordered rows at the side of the cavern. They wear breastplates over gray tunics, with greaves and light helmets. Their eyes are blank, faces slack, shoulders slumped, and they hold their weapons loosely in sluggish hands. Nonetheless there is a sense of contained brutality about them; they are the dead souls of violent men, soldiers who lived and died by the sword. They may be dormant at the moment, but they are ready to obey orders and inflict savagery wherever their master directs. This is an army. These people are preparing for revolution. My stomach churns with icy fear. 

Thanatos swaggers up to the group. I flatten myself on his head and stay very still. "Avin, how's the training coming along?" he demands.

"As expected, sir," Avin replies. "They'll be obedient to you."

"You're certain?"

"Absolutely, I’ve tested them to be sure. Once we have the full complement of weapons and armor we'll be ready."

“Hey Thanatos, everyone's here now,” calls a new voice. Thanatos turns to look and I am surprised to see Triamus arriving. I can’t believe he’s in on this. I feel bitterly disappointed by his betrayal.

“Anything new to report, Triamus?” asks Thanatos.

“Nope. I couldn’t find Princess Pinky all afternoon. No idea where she went,” he says. 

“On her knees for the tyrant, I’ll bet,” Avin suggests. The others all laugh.

“Let's hope so," says the satyr. "The weather's been shit for days now."

***

I have to report this. I fly up to the shadowed crevice I noticed earlier. It’s deeper than I expected, twisting into the rock for quite a distance before it gets too narrow to pass. I change back to my normal form and check my phone. No signal, of course. I sigh. Only one way to do this. I kneel on the ground and smack the ground twice, then jump up quickly and dust my hands. I don’t want Hades to catch me like that.

There’s a  _ pop _ , and there he is. “Kore! I--” He bumps his head on the low ceiling and twists to look up, startled.

“Shut up!” I grab his shoulder and yank him down to whisper in his ear. “Thanatos is a traitor. He’s been diverting shades and training them into an army. He’s got conspirators and they’re planning on overthrowing you.” I point towards the crevice’s entrance. We can hear voices. Hades goes wide-eyed, but keeps his silence. 

We creep up to the edge and crouch down to listen. Across the cavern from our perch we can see the rows of shade soldiers, firelight flickering on their armor and weapons. Hades notes them, but he’s more interested in the traitors. They're sitting around the fire now, passing a bottle and bragging about what they’re going to do once they win.

“I can’t wait to see the look on the tyrant’s face when we stick him in Tartarus, right next to his tyrant father,” says Avin.

“I am going to be so rich!” boasts Triamus. “I’m gonna eat caviar off gold plates every single day.”

Avin snorts at him. "We'll  _ all _ be filthy rich, kid."

“Oh! When I’m the king of this dump,” cries Thanatos, “I’m gonna take that stuck-up Persephone, and make her  _ my  _ little--” he makes a pumping motion with his arms-- “office girl!” 

Gross. Not surprising, but gross. The others laugh and hoot. I can feel the rage pouring off Hades, so much so that he’s quivering. He’s heard enough. He turns, and we retreat to the back of the crevice to confer. He remembers to crouch down.

"Where is this?" Hades asks. 

"Some kind of cave system they call Vathia. The entrance tunnel is over that way and I'm not sure if there's another way out." 

He raises his brows. "Okay. And how did you come to be here?"

I bite my lip. Is this really important right now? "Thanatos tried to blackmail me. He said something about Hermes hiding secrets for me in the archives, so I followed him here. Once I saw all those shades I summoned you right away."

"I'm very grateful to you for that," he says, slowly and thoughtfully.

I'm getting anxious. It’s ridiculous to be standing around chatting. "Shouldn't we get some more people to help with this?"

He looks mildly affronted. "For this? Nah. We can handle it."

This sounds insanely reckless. I draw breath to argue--but Hades is changing. Just as he did the night we argued so fiercely, his skin and hair are turning dark, streaked with blue fire and dotted with lights. His jaw elongates and sharpens. It's mesmerizing. He's menacing and beautiful.

I shiver and feel a flush of heat at the same time. His eyes blank for a moment and he’s suddenly holding his bident and helmet. Just like in my history books.

“Here, take this.” He hands me the bident.

“What am I supposed to do with this thing?” It's half again as tall as me, and top-heavy.

“Stand in the entrance and scare the shit out of anyone who tries to get past you. Just pretend they’re me and yell at them.” Hades places the helmet on his head and starts to fade from view. “I’ll come around from the other side, and we'll seize them between us.” He’s gone.

Seize them. Right. I’m not confident I can transfer the bident with me in my butterfly form. I’ll have to try to go through the Narrow Spaces, popping in and out of existence the way some other gods can do. I’ve never done this by myself but now it seems I have to. I  _ reach _ and  _ pull _ and  _ twist _ like I’ve been instructed and just like that I’m popping out in the entrance tunnel, a little way beyond the bend leading into the main chamber. I grin, exultant. That was easy! I draw a deep breath to prepare myself, and suddenly realize that the weird vibration I’ve been feeling all day through the ground is gone, taking my headache with it. It’s a tremendous relief. I feel a surge of confidence.

It’s time to look scary now. I make my eyes red and start growing some vines. I think about Thanatos’s attempt to manipulate me. I think about Triamus, how I’ve been working with him and getting to know him, and all the time he’s been deceiving me. I think about the arrayed shades, ready to do battle for the sake of a few people’s selfishness. Intense quivers of fury spread along my limbs and my skin tightens. I feel shimmering waves of heat lapping my body, flowing out of me. I’m ready.

As I stride around the curve of the wall I can see the shadows of the conspirators thrown by their campfire dancing on the wall of the cavern. I reach the entrance to the main chamber; they are still passing the bottle and cheering their friends’ boasts. I place my feet firmly and plant the bident out in front of me, holding my arm out straight so that I’m holding it angled slightly away from me.

My movement attracts Triamus’s attention. He stares at me in shock for a moment and then grabs Thanatos’s arm and points. In a second everyone turns to look at me. They stand there, silent. I feel a cold rush of fear in my belly but I remind myself that these are traitors. Liars and cheats who are not only willing to discard all honor and loyalty, they are eager to use violence to cast their fellow citizens into a new tyranny of abuse and greed. The heat of righteous anger spreads again, consuming my fear. I  _ smile _ .

“Well, hello there,  _ Kore _ ,” drawls Thanatos. “Funny seeing you here. I guess you were so excited about our conversation that you followed me here?”

The traitors are fanning out and converging on me, intent on subduing me and preventing my escape. As they move their long shadows slide over the cavern walls, spreading out until the group seems to cast a forest of dark columns up into the darkness of the ceiling. It’s delightful to me that none of them have yet grasped the significance of my holding Hades’s weapon. I wonder where he is just now. I can’t see a shadow for him. Interesting.

Triamus and the blue-gray satyr start approaching at a trot, ready to grab me. I smile even wider. From Triamus’s reaction, it looks pretty disturbing. I wish I could see. I  _ reach _ again, summoning help. This time there’s a bigger  _ pop _ , behind and above me, and I know it’s Cerberus in his giant form, already three-headed. He growls. 

The two conspirators skid to a stop in front of me, their arms held protectively high. They look at their accomplices, then back at me. They’re panicky. I keep smiling, and Cerberus keeps growling. Thanatos looks around wildly; he’s finally realized the danger he’s in. “Shit!” he yells.

Hades reappears just beyond the fire, holding his helmet again. His shadow leaps into existence at the same time, jagged and looming, outlining him in black. He’s still dark and starry; his grin is huge, his teeth are sharp, and his eyes are glowing. The aura of danger surrounds him like a storm. He’s terrifying. He’s glorious. 

“Well,” he hisses, low and savage. “And what do we have here?” 

The conspirators react with horror and shock. Some of them back away from Hades, only to turn and freeze when they realize that they’re moving closer to Cerberus and me. One drops to his knees. Thanatos isn’t ready to give up, though.

“This isn’t over yet!” yells the God of Death. “I’m done taking your orders.  Επίθεση του! ”

Hades growls in frustration. “You stupid bastard. If you hurt her, your agony will never end!” My breath hitches in my chest. I am weirdly elated at his desire to protect me and simultaneously furious that he’s offering to hurt someone for me,  _ again _ . I have Cerberus; Hades needs to worry about himself.

The arrayed shades are waking in heed of Thanatos’s order. Their formerly blank eyes begin to shimmer with a disturbing green glow and their heads snap to attention, moving in eerie unison. Their slack mouths gape wider still and hundreds of undead throats unleash an uncanny cry, rising and falling in volume in a ghastly chorus. They’re suddenly giving off a stench of corruption and madness, like a foul infusion of ergot laced with oleander; it assaults my nose and makes all my hair stand on end. Shades shouldn’t smell like that. They shouldn’t smell at all.

All at once the ranks of shade soldiers spring into action, drawing their weapons and running jerkily to attack Hades. I watch in horror as they bear down on him. He’s a god, and experienced in battle, but there are hundreds of them and _ I have his weapon _ .

“Cerberus! Go!” I wave wildly and send the giant dog to help Hades. He leaps into the fray, sending shades flying with a sweep of one of his heads. Hades drops his helmet, snatches up a sword from one of the fallen shades and swings it, cutting down two more. The noise combined with the odor is abhorrent and deeply distracting.

Something grabs my arm and I turn to look up into Avin’s face. “Your boyfriend is doomed. If you cooperate with us, maybe we’ll go easy on you,” he jeers. He’s reaching with his other hand to take the bident from me.

“I don’t think so,” I say.

Red vines burst out of the cavern floor, grab Avin, and slam him to the ground. I’m done being gentle. I’m done speaking softly. I’m done with being grabbed! I turn, and send more vines to capture Thanatos, Triamus, and the others. I spend a minute making sure they’re secure before I look back to check on Hades.

He has a sword in each hand now, and is cutting down shades as fast as he can swing them. Still, he’s surrounded, shades leaping at him again and again with no break at all. The only reason they haven’t pulled him down already is that they don’t coordinate their attacks. They get in each other’s way, tripping one another, sometimes cutting down comrades in their single-minded pursuit of Hades. Cerberus is busy chasing down a cohort of shades armed with long spears, down by the far end of the cavern.

I’m watching anxiously, trying to figure out how to get the bident to Hades, when he twists suddenty to impale an attacking shade, and finds his sword stuck in the shade’s armor. It takes him only an extra moment to free it, but in that time, another shade is approaching him from the rear, sword poised to stab him in the kidneys. 

“No!” I scream. Hades is turning towards the new attacker but there’s no way he’s going to be able to stop it--I reach out and do  _ something _ . The assailant dissolves into red motes that swiftly flow upwards until they meet the ceiling and melt away. For just a moment Hades’s eyes meet mine, then he turns to continue countering the shades’ attacks. I remember to breathe again.

I march up to Thanatos, spread out on the ground, bound by my vines at ankles, wrists, and neck. I rotate the bident around using both hands and forcefully place one point on his stomach, the other on his groin. I lean into it, just a bit. “Call them off,” I command. “Right now!” I lean some more.

His eyes are practically leaping from his head. “ Διακόπτω! ” he yells. “ Διακόπτω! ”

The noise stops immediately and the smell starts to dissipate. The shades stop fighting and lower their weapons. They back slowly away from Hades, never taking their eyes off him. He’s bleeding from a few cuts, and his clothes are ripped and dirty, but he’s upright and still moving. The relief leaves me feeling hollow.

I look down at Thanatos. “If you open your mouth at all, I’m going to push this right through you and into the ground. Then I start to  _ twist _ . Are we clear?” 

He nods in frantic terror, and I recoil. I just threatened him with torture! Why did I do that? I don’t trust myself anymore. I lift the bident and plant it butt end down again, and send vines snaking acrossThanatos’s face, gagging his mouth. I’m finishing doing the same to the others when Hades approaches.

He stands a respectful distance away, panting from exertion, the inky darkness melting away from his skin. The urge to throw myself into his arms is almost overwhelming, but I resist it. I force myself to remember that I’m still angry. I just stand there looking at him, looking back at me, until his breathing evens out and his appearance is back to normal.

“What did you do to that shade?” he asks. Calm and quiet, as if he’s merely curious. 

“I’m not really sure,” I say nervously. I’m already dismayed by my willingness to hurt Thanatos. Putting together what I just did to the attacking shade with what happened  _ that day _ gives me an answer that frightens me. My mind shies away. A tremble passes through me. “Take this back, it’s too heavy for me.” I shove the bident at him.

He accepts it without comment, not allowing me to distract him from what he wants to know. “You didn’t destroy it. It went somewhere, I could feel that.” 

“I don’t know!” My throat is tight and my voice has gone very high.

Hades watches me for a long moment, and then nods. “All right. We can talk about it another time.”

I’m relieved at his understanding but I resent it at the same time. I must not forget that he did a terrible thing without consulting me. 

“Are you all right?” I ask.

He glances at his disheveled clothes and the wounds that have already stopped bleeding. “Thanks to you, yes. I am sincerely grateful to you, both for calling me and for protecting me as you did.”

All of a sudden I understand the significance of what I’ve done. Whether I intended it that way or not, by summoning Hades and helping him put down this rebellion, I’ve clearly demonstrated where my loyalty lies. I’ve implicitly admitted that he has the right to administer justice in his realm however he sees fit.

“I couldn’t have done otherwise,” I say, weakly. It’s true. Allowing Thanatos and his band of selfish maniacs to take over the realm would be stupidly senseless.

Hades tilts his head. “Many people would have taken the opportunity for revenge.”

I groan, exasperated. “That’s my whole point!” I holler. “Vengeance isn’t the same as justice. Me siding with idiot traitors because I’m upset with you would be just as out of proportion as cutting out some guy’s eye for taking a picture!”

He nods mildly. “I see your point.”

His underreaction disarms my anger. It slips away from me, and as it goes, I’m not sure I’m going to get it back. In its wake, cold fear creeps in and digs its claws into my guts. I’m very disturbed by my own behavior today, and by the realization of what happened that day when I subverted the proper order of things. When everything started going wrong with my powers. When my mother started to look at me with fear and disappointment in her eyes. 

I feel chilled and start to tremble slightly. I can’t look at Hades any more, I know I’ll start to cry. I want to tell him about what happened. I want his comfort and advice. I can’t, though. He’s the last person I can tell. I cannot stand to see him disillusioned. To see his face close down when he understands what I have done. I wrap my arms tight around my body to try to control the chills, to hold my emotions in check. 

I hear Hades sigh softly, and glance at him as he turns away, going to check that the traitors are secured. I realize that I’ve wasted the opportunity to forgive him, to be friends again for whatever brief time I might have left before he finally sees me for what I am. The tears start to fall, and I curse my stupidity.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to Red for brainstorming, editing, ideas, and encouragement!


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